Role of Smad3 inhibitor and the pyroptosis pathway in spinal cord injury

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of Smad3 inhibitors and the pyroptosis pathway in spinal cord injury, and to determine the underlying mechanism. The pyroptosis signaling pathway may be involved in spinal cord injury during the recovery period. Smad3 inhibitor may serve a role in alleviating spinal cord injury by reducing the pyroptosis of neurons, which is induced by caspase-1, absent in melanoma-2 or NOD-like receptors protein-1 during the recovery period of spinal cord injury. In the present study, spinal cord injury was alleviated by caspase-1 and Smad3 inhibitors. Therefore, a Smad3 inhibitor could relieve spinal cord injury in mice by directly downregulating caspase-1 and reducing neuron pyroptosis following spinal cord injury during the recovery period.